Dragon Sword
by Ceu Praca
Summary: Children never approached the gate, it was unheard of. Who was this kid, and…why in the name of Din did he have a dagger strapped to his back? And a wooden shield? He looked up at me silently for the longest moment, a ridiculous-looking, floppy green hat covering most of his matted-down, blond hair. "Sir, I need to go up Death Mountain," he said seriously. I laughed.
1. Gate Trouble

**A/N1:** Those of you who have known me for a long time now will recognize_ Dragon Sword_, as well as its main character. To those people: I told y'all a while back that I was revamping Dragon Sword. Well, here it is, the new version! I think you'll find that it's infinitely better than the old version.

**A/N2:** To those of you who are just finding this story for the first time: _Dragon Sword_ is the first story in an entire series of mine. I call this series simply the "Dragon Series," which takes place within my alternate universe, the "Dragonverse." By alternate universe, I mean that this has a _lot_ of non-canon stuff in it, so if you find stuff that goes against canon in here, which you _will_, believe me, then...don't complain about it. That said, y'all will probably enjoy this story. AU's are fun, right? XD

**A/N3:** This is from the point of view of an OC of mine, and takes place during the events of _Ocarina of Time_. All of you who have played _Ocarina of Time_ will immediately recognize stuff from the game. I'm sure you'll figure out where and when this first scene takes place. :o)

**Disclaimer:** If I were Shigeru Miyamoto, I would own the Legend of Zelda franchise. Sadly, I am not Miyamoto, merely a teenage writer who loves Hyrule, Termina, the Twilight Realm, and anything else LoZ. Thus, sadly, I do not own the Legend of Zelda. STill, the main character in this is mine, and so is the Dragon Sword, so don't steal them.

Dedicated to _RedNemi__, _who was the very first fan of this story. My goodness, it all seems so long ago! Anyway, enough talking from me; on to the story!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Gate Trouble**

I frowned at him; children never approached the gate, it was unheard of. Who was this kid, and…why in the name of Din did he have a dagger strapped to his back? And a wooden shield? He looked up at me silently for the longest moment, a ridiculous-looking, floppy green hat covering most of his matted-down, blond hair. Then he reached into a pouch on his belt and withdrew a folded piece of paper that, surprisingly, had the royal seal of Hyrule stamped on it.

"Sir, I need to go up Death Mountain," he said seriously, proffering the note.

I stared at him in surprise, then laughed. "Kid, you can't be older than nine; I'm not about to let a _child_ climb up a fire-spitting, tektite-infested mountain!"

"I'm ten," he replied huffily, his blue eyes narrowing. "And it's really important; I need to talk to the Gorons."

"What makes you think the Gorons would even want to talk to you?"

"Someone is threatening Hyrule, and I need to stop him!" the kid snapped. "Read the letter; you'll see."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; this short, green-clad kid was starting to get on my nerves. But, even though I knew that there was no way I was letting a _ten-year-old_ climb up the mountain, I took the piece of paper and unfolded it, scowling down at the neat, concise message. "This is Princess Zelda's handwriting," I murmured, surprised._ How does this kid know Zelda?_ The message didn't make much sense, either, saying that the kid's name was Link, and that he was under her orders to save Hyrule. I shook my head, chuckling. "What kind of funny game has our princess come up with now?"

The kid glared up at me. "It's not a game! I really need to visit the Gorons; the fate of the kingdom depends on me!"

"Well, aren't you the important hero?"

"I'm serious! Please!"

"That wooden shield of yours isn't going to do one bit of good on a fire mountain, and that dagger looks like it wouldn't kill a keese, let alone the other monsters that dwell up the cliffsides." _He's not much older than my son; I can't let him get himself killed. Even if he does have royal permission, it's my responsibility to keep people safe here._

"I'll be fine," he answered, clenching his hands into fists. "Just let me pass!"

Against my better judgment, I felt curious about this kid. "And what will you do if I _don't_ let you pass?"

He looked baffled at that for a moment, then shrugged. "I'll just have to get by you illegally. I'm serious, the fate of Hyrule depends on me going up that mountain!"

"Why?" I asked, leaning against the brick wall and tapping the butt of my spear lightly against the pressure plate that controlled the gate, though not with enough force to actually push it down.

He hesitated, looking down and scuffing the toe of one boot in the dirt. "I, uh…I need to get the Goron's Ruby."

I shook my head, exasperated. "Okay, kid, as if climbing up a flaming mountain wasn't bad enough, now you want the Gorons' most sacred possession? If the tektites don't kill you, Darunia will, for asking such a thing of him!"

"It's a risk I have to take," he bit out. "I'm not some helpless kid; I can handle myself just fine."

"With a twelve-inch knife and a piece of painted tree bark," I muttered. "Sure, I believe you."

"Why isn't Zelda's letter enough?"

"Because Zelda is eleven years old, and thus doesn't carry the same authority that her father does," I answered, shrugging. Sorry, kid, but it's too dangerous."

"I wasn't joking about getting by you without your permission," he growled.

"Go ahead and try," I retorted. "You're a little kid, and I'm a soldier with years of experience."

He glowered at me, and I looked down at him levelly, daring him to try it; after twenty seconds had passed, he sighed. "Is there any way that you would let me up the mountain?"

"Yeah, come back when you're eighteen and have a real weapon."

He huffed, then charged me suddenly; I blocked him with my spear, surprised that he had even attempted it, then he grabbed the spear shaft with both hands. I rolled my eyes, lifting the spear so that he was dangling from it in front of me. He merely grinned. "I told you, I'd get past you illegally."

"Yeah, hanging from my weapon is really 'getting past me,'" I said, annoyed.

He cocked his head, then let go, dropping to the ground and bolting straight at the tall, iron gate. I watched, knowing that there was no way he would be able to open it, then, to my utter disbelief, he leapt, grabbed the bars of the gate, and shimmied up and over, landing feet-first on the other side in under five seconds. He twisted halfway and waved to me before taking off up the trail.

I groaned, jamming my spear haft into the pressure plate to open the gate, calling one of the other guards to me. "We've got an issue. Take over my shift, Gavin; I'll try to be back soon."

I ran down the Death Mountain Trail, hearing the gate close behind me, and chasing after the darned kid. _Forget Darunia and the tektites; _I'm_ going to kill him!_

* * *

**A/N: **Link was raised in the Kokiri Forest, so I'm assuming that he's a good climber. He's obviously a good acrobat, anyway, from what we see in the game, which is why I believe that yes, if he wanted to, he could have climbed over the gate.


	2. Trail Altercation

**Chapter 2: Trail Altercation**

The kid was a surprisingly fast runner; he'd made it past the entrance to the Dodongo Caves before I caught up to him, tackling him to the ground.

"Ah, get off me!" he screamed, kicking.

I pulled him up and held him by the collar of his green tunic so that he was forced to stand on tip-toe. "You're an idiot," I growled. "This place is called _Death_ Mountain for a reason!"

He frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "You're a lot more dedicated than the Hyrule Castle soldiers, you know that?"

I scowled at him. "I told you that I'm not letting you up his mountain, and that's final. We're going back to Kakariko. Now."

He kicked out at me, his boot catching my shin and bouncing off of the armor plate there. "No! I need to talk to Darunia, and you're not gonna stop me!"

"I already _have_ stopped you, kid, and you don't get a choice in this issue. What will your mother say when she finds out what kind of trouble you've gotten in?"

He rolled his eyes. "Kokiri don't have mothers, keese-brain."

"What the heck is a Koriri?" I snapped.

"_I'm_ a Kokiri," he replied, kicking at me again. "Let go of me!"

"Not a chance. Who are your parents? I'm taking you back to your home, whether you like it or not."

"I already told you, Kokiri don't have parents! Navi, help me!"

_What in Din's name is 'Navi' supposed to mean?_ I sighed, shaking my head, then a blinding, blue light was suddenly in my face; I yelped, dropping the kid reflexively as the whatever-it-was bounced ferociously against my helmet. _A fairy? How does this kid have a fairy?_ I swatted at it, and it hovered away to the kid, who was already running up the trail. I glared at his retreating form, stalking after him. _He'll be lucky if I don't throw him in prison before the day is done._

I soon caught up to him again, grabbing him by the collar of his tunic again; this time when the fairy came out, I simply ignored it, glaring at the boy. "You're impossible. No matter what you do, the Gorons are not going to give you their most sacred object."

"If you're not going to leave me alone," he ground out. "then help me."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Help you?"

"Yeah! You have armor, a sword, and a spear; why not help me, if you really think that I'm inadequately equipped."

"First, you need to tell me why you're so bent on getting the Ruby. What part of _sacred_ don't you understand? It's precious to the Gorons; they're not going to let a human touch it."

"I need it," he answered.

"Why?"

"To open the Door of Time."

I dropped him in shock, and he staggered before regaining his footing, cocking his head curiously. I composed myself and folded my arms across my chest, gritting my teeth. "Do you even realize that the Temple of Time is off-limits to civilians? The royal family are the only people allowed to enter. And even if you were allowed in, opening the _Door_? That's sacrilege!"

"That's why Zelda is going to open the Door," he hissed. "I'm just the one who's gathering the stones. I already have the Kokiri's Emerald."

"The _what_?" I said blankly.

He sighed as if _he_ were the adult and _I_ was the child. "The Spiritual Stone of Forest. I need the stones of Fire and Water, too."

"Why do you want to open the Door?"

"To get the Triforce," he replied, shrugging, as if we were discussing the weather.

"If I wasn't convinced that I shouldn't let you up the mountain before, I certainly am now," I said, amazed. "You want the _Triforce_? That's even _worse_ than opening the Door! You could be executed just for _attempting_ to get it!"

"Zelda is convinced that the only way to stop him is to get the Triforce," he responded.

"Stop _who_?"

"Ganondorf."

"Okay, so now you want to wage war against the king of the Gerudo! Your plans just keep getting better and better!"

"Thanks," he rejoined, grinning.

"That _wasn't_ a compliment," I growled. "You're the biggest fool I've ever met!"

"And you're blind!" he shouted suddenly. "Ganondorf is up to no good, and none of you can see it! The king won't even listen to his own daughter! I'm sick and tired of adults never listening to children just because of our age!"

I stared at him, not sure whether to sympathize or just drag him back to Kakariko. _This is probably a really bad idea, but I may as well go along with him for a little while. Maybe he'll just give up when the Gorons refuse to hand over the Ruby._ "Okay, fine, kid, I'll help you. But only for a little while, and please, don't do anything stupid."

He looked visibly relieved. "Thank you. My name is Link, by the way. What's yours?"

"Lieutenant Tannin Starflare."

"Wow, that's a long name," he replied, looking surprised.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You can just call me Tannin."

"Okay. This is Navi," he said, gesturing to the fairy, who chirped and dove underneath his hat. "Let's go see the Gorons now."

I sighed, but nodded. _This is going to be a long day._


	3. Patriarchal Problems

**A/N:** Those of you who read the old draft of this story before it was deleted have probably realized by now that Tannin is a lot more involved in Link's childhood adventures than he was in the original version. I did this to add more depth, and also, because I just wanted to write about a ticked-off Darunia. XD

* * *

**Chapter 3: Patriarchal Problems**

"What the heck? Who are you?!" the massive Goron thundered, towering over the kid. I wouldn't intervene unless the boy's life was actually threatened; a little fear would probably do him good.

To his credit, Link kept a straight face, not taking a step back. "My name is Link, sir. I came to speak with you."

"I expected the royal family's messenger, but you're just a little kid! Have I really lost so much status to be treated like this by my Sword Brother, the king?" the rocklike creature growled, his huge hands clenching into fists; one smack from him could probably send the kid right through the wall.

"Sir, I wasn't sent by the king, I was sent by his daughter, Princess Zelda. Please listen to me," the boy pleaded.

"Now I'm _really_ angry! Get out, _now_!" Darunia bellowed, kicking at the child, though not actually touching him.

Link took two steps back, seeming to be muttering something in a high-pitched, lilting language, then he took out a small, wooden thing and raising it to his lips. To my surprise, it was a musical instrument, and I flinched when he blew a long, high note as loud as he could; the patriarch of the Gorons froze, glaring down at him, and the boy shrugged. "I'm asking you politely to please _listen_ to me. I wasn't sent by the king. I'm here on my own errand, I had to fight with a bullheaded soldier to get up here, and I'm losing my patience."

I snorted at that last part, shaking my head. To my surprise, though, Darunia merely blinked twice, then sat down in a chair made of solid rock. "Then speak. What do you want? State it quickly, then begone. I have my own troubles to worry about."

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" the kid asked innocently.

"Ancient creature's have infested Dodongo's Cavern!" Darunia snapped. "We've had a poor harvest of our special crop, bomb flowers! We're facing starvation and hunger because of the rock shortage!"

"Starvation?" I interrupted, shocked. "Why haven't your people mentioned this to the king?"

"Because this is a Goron problem," he rumbled. "Humans cannot fight dodongos."

"I can!" Link said, causing me to freeze.

_He's joking, right?_ "Kid, do you even know what dodongos _are_?" I asked incredulously.

"No, but I want to help."

Darunia bent down into a crouch to be at eye level with the kid. "Oh? Is that all you want?"

"No, I want the Spiritual Stone of Fire, too," he answered matter-of-factly.

"_What_?" the patriarch exclaimed. "You want the Goron's Ruby, too?"

"'Too?'" I echoed, confused.

Darunia didn't seem to hear me; he was focused on Link. "Why do you want it?"

"To save Hyrule from destruction," the boy responded, just as casually.

Silence. Then…the massive Goron began to laugh. "Well! You have more tenacity than any other human I have ever met! You know what? I like you, kid; you've got spirit. But I'm not giving you the stone that easily; it's our most sacred treasure, after all."

"Then tell me what I can do to earn it," Link said evenly.

"If you really want it so badly…then why don't you destroy the monsters inside the Dodongo's Cavern and prove you're a real man?"

"Darunia, no," I interjected. "He's a little kid; he's only ten years old! You can't expect him to go into the caverns!"

"I will not give him the stone unless he does that," the Goron replied, shrugging. "It is the only way."

Link nodded. "I can do it. Can't be any worse than freeing the Great Deku Tree from the curse."

"Kid, you don't make _any_ sense," I snapped, glaring at him. "But you're going to get yourself killed!"

Darunia turned to a stone jar and withdrew something small and golden. "No he won't; he's stronger than he looks, I can sense it. Gorons know these things. Here, I have something for you, child. Give my your hand; either one will do."

Link warily held out his left hand, swallowing hard. The patriarch slipped the gold thing onto his wrist; it was a bracelet, with the Goron symbol etched in ruby into the outside. Link stared at it in wonder; he'd probably never seen real gold before. "What is it?"

"As long as you wear that, even a little fella like you can pick a bomb flower easily," Darunia said, chuckling. "It's magical, makes you stronger. And trust me, you'll need bomb flowers; there's a massive boulder blocking the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern."

"Thank you, sir," Link said humbly, bowing.

* * *

**A/N: **You may have also noticed that I'm making Darunia a lot more dignified than he was in the game. In other words, not suddenly dancing and almost clobbering Link over the head.


	4. When You Throw A Bomb

**Chapter 4: When You Throw A Bomb…**

"You're the dumbest kid I've ever met!" I yelled at him, watching in horror as he hurled a bomb in the direction of one of the dodongos; the creature, thinking it was food, lunged and swallowed it, and within moments, we were plastered with yet another shower of flesh.

Link grimaced, wiping the steaming goo off of him as best as he could, shrugging. "It works. And _you_ said that dodongos were invincible," he teased, grinning.

I did my best to ignore the rancid smell of charred flesh, smacking the boy upside the head, stabbing another baby dodongo with my sword and stalking in the direction of yet another door. "We've probably killed enough dodongos and skulltula that this place should be accessible to the Gorons by now. Can we go yet?"

Link spun on his heel to slice through a skulltula with his dagger, shaking his head and jogging toward me, narrowly avoiding getting caught in the explosion as the dead dodongo combusted. "No, not yet. All these dodongos have to be coming from somewhere."

"Yeah, they're coming from a magical portal that spews them out by the thousands," I growled, swiping at a pair of keese.

Link froze, staring at the ground. "Tannin, is something…odd about this to you?"

"Looks normal to me," I answered, ducking another flock of keese.

He struck it with his sword, creating a loud clanging sound. "It's hollow!" he exclaimed, right before a diabolical smile formed.

"No! Don't you dare!"

He ignored me, pulling out another bomb from the bag that he had found in one of the other rooms, lighting it, setting it down, then running away; I ducked, closing my eyes as I heard a cacophonous boom, and when I looked up, there was a massive hole in the floor. He crept to the edge and peered down. "It's another chamber!"

"Yeah, probably the pit of doom," I snarled, smacking him again. "Will you stop blowing things up? I'm sure the Gorons don't appreciate you destroying their harvesting grounds!"

He smirked. "But it's so much fun!"

_Great, a bomb-happy child._ "Can we just finish up here? You're lucky you haven't gotten killed yet!" Truth be told, the kid was actually quite remarkable with that dagger of his; he'd held his own against countless fire-breathing monsters so far, even taking down a pair of lizalfos single-handedly.

He nodded, then dove headfirst down the hole he'd created; I groaned, leaping after him. Fortunately, we both landed safely, but I was getting more and more annoyed by the second. We had ended up in a humongous room with a lake of lava in the center, a wide strip of land lining the edges. We were fortunate that neither of us had hit the fire. Link held up a hand before I could scold him, though, his eyes wide. "Tannin…look…"

I turned slowly, then stiffened. Laying on the hard-packed dirt, shining, golden eyes watching us, was the biggest dodongo I had ever seen; the thing was at least twenty feet tall, and that was while it was laying down, there was no telling how big it would be when it stood up. It's scales were a shimmering blue, almost black, so it had to be at least fifty years old, if not older.

"Remind me again why you agreed to Darunia's deal?" I asked, disbelieving. "That thing is huge!"

Link merely walked forward, which seemed to set the thing off; the monstrous beast straightened up to its full thirty feet of height, jaw gaping open and clouds of gas beginning to form.

"Tannin, duck!" Link shouted, running and diving into a corner; I fell flat, squeezing my eyes shut and wincing as the blazing heat whooshed by overhead, and I felt like I was being baked alive.

_This is the one time in my life where I am_ not_ thankful for my armor!_ I stood when the fire had passed, glancing at Link to make sure that he was okay. He seemed all right enough, if a bit overheated, and I glared at him. He ignored me, taking out one of his bombs and holding it ready, one hand poised to light the fuse.

_He's crazy!_ "Link, you're going to get yourself killed!"

He didn't seem to hear, running forward as the gigantic dodongo opened its mouth again; he threw the bomb with all of his might, and, to my surprise, it actually landed in the creature's lower jaw, though the beast didn't swallow it. It still exploded, and the animal let out a howl, slumping to the ground; Link ran forward with his dagger and attacked its face viciously, and it howled, swatting the boy with a forepaw. Link was flung against the stone wall with a sickening crack, and I yelled, lunging at the creature and stabbing its eye with my sword. It roared, jerking away and running to the other side of the cavern, and I bolted over to the kid.

There was a gash on his head, and his leg was bent at an awkward angle, blood soaking his tunic. He moaned, his breathing coming in shallow gasps that were quickly getting weaker, and I carefully scooped him up into my arms, checking his pulse, which was getting slow by the second. _No, kid, stay with me!_

The fairy came out of his pocket and chattered something, pulling a bottle from his belt pouch that seemed to be able to hold anything, no matter how big. I grabbed the bottle, noting that it was some kind of red liquid, and I decided to trust the fairy, uncorking the bottle and tipping the liquid into the boy's mouth. Most of it splashed to the ground, I was only able to get a small amount into him, but it seemed like it was enough; he resumed breathing normally, groaning in pain.

"Thank you," I told the fairy gratefully._ I knew this was a bad idea right from the start! We never should have come here!_

"Need a little help, human?" a voice thundered through the cavern.

"What?" I looked up, seeing a pair of Gorons standing there; one of them was none other than Darunia.

They came closer; the patriarch eyed the unconscious child, then nodded. "He did well, better than I had expected."

"Can you help us? How do we get out of here?"

Darunia shrugged, pointing to a door in the wall. "I can lead you out. He looks in bad shape. Do not worry about the dodongo; my people can deal with it now."

"We need to hurry; he's losing blood, and I don't think he can hold out long."

"Then come quickly."


	5. Breathe

**Chapter 5: Breathe**

"Tannin!" my wife exclaimed, understandably shocked when I came home with a bloody ten-year-old and a ten-foot-tall Goron.

"He's wounded badly, Alice." I set the boy on the kitchen table, drawing one of my knives from my belt and painstakingly cutting away his tunic, setting his leather belt and dagger to one side. His breathing has worsened again on the trip down the mountain, and now his narrow chest was rising and falling unsteadily as he took his breath in short, shuddering gasps. I used his already ruined tunic to staunch the blood flow in the head wound. "Get me my medical kit," I commanded, causing my wife to bolt to the kitchen.

She came back moments later, setting the bag next to the boy on the table before withdrawing, eyeing Darunia nervously. "Who are they? What happened to him?

I opened the bag and took out bandages and clean cloth, then ran to the kitchen and filled a basin with water, going back out and washing out the wounds as best as I could. "It's a long story, but he was hit by a dodongo."

The blood flow had stopped now, and I prayed that he hadn't lost too much of it as I bound the wounds tightly before checking his pulse. His heart was beating strongly, even though he was struggling to breathe, and I made sure that he was lying flat as I carefully felt his torso. Sure enough, he had three cracked ribs, and his right leg was still bent awkwardly. I knew without needing to feel it first that it was broken, and set the break as best as possible, hoping that the poor kid would be okay. I bound the blade of my knife in leather before using it as a splint, knowing anything else I had wouldn't be short enough.

"Will he be okay?"

"I'm not sure. We'll know when he wakes up. For now, I just need to keep him breathing." Satisfied that he was stable for now, I removed my armor, stacking it in one corner along with my spear and sword before changing into civilian clothes. "Is Ryan asleep already?"

"Yes, he was a few hours ago."

I sat down next to the child and put my hand under his head, holding him carefully so that his airway was unobstructed, then glanced at Alice. "Why don't you go get some sleep? I can take care of him for now, but I'll call you if I need anything."

She nodded, then turned and went up the stairs to the second floor, and after a little while, I heard the creak of the mattress as she lay down. The tiny, blue fairy slipped out from where it had been hiding behind the child's ear, dropping down to perch on his cheek with a high-pitched sigh; when I looked closer, I realized that it was an incredibly fragile-looking girl with ethereal wings, and she looked really worried, stroking Link's eyelashes and murmuring to him in that whispery, unintelligible language.

I felt an imposing presence behind me, but I didn't bother looking up at Darunia; then, to my surprise, he delicately slipped something into the boy's immobile hand before bowing to me. "I must leave now and return to my people. Let me know whether or not he survives."

I nodded, and the massive Goron exited my house, barely managing to get through the doorway. I gently opened the child's hand, seeing with no small amount of wonder a perfectly cut ruby shaped like the Goron's crest, framed by the purest gold.

_Well, at least you got what you wanted, even if it wasn't exactly how you wanted to get it. I really hope you make it, Link, otherwise I'll never forgive myself for letting you go up that mountain._

* * *

**A/N: **Well, another character! Alice is the Unnamed Woman in the house that never ever _ever_ opens her door to anyone. XD Seven years later, that house becomes the bazaar. Sort of. Now you know which house is theirs, at least. :o)


	6. Meet Navi

**A/N:** I know that the majority of you absolutely hate Navi, but, obviously, she is a character in _Ocarina of Time_, and thus, she will be in this story a lot. Face it, if she was really that bad, why in Din's name would Link want to find her again in_ Majora's Mask_? Because of that, I am intentionally making her likable in _Dragon Sword_.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Meet Navi**

Bright rays of sunlight spilled through the front window, causing me to squint and groan, then I felt a faint shifting, and I glanced down, seeing that Link hadn't moved, but his eyes were half-open. He was frowning up at me, and I straightened, sliding my hand out from under his head carefully. "You all right, kid?"

His lips moved, and I was barely able to make out his thin, cracked voice. "Water."

"Okay, kid, I'll get you water. Don't try to move." I stood and got a cup, filling it and going back to him, helping him sit up slowly with one hand. I propped my free hand under his back to hold him steady as I held the water to his mouth.

He drank eagerly, then when he had finished, he stared at me quizzically. "Who are you?"

I froze. _He doesn't know who I am?_ "Tannin."

His eyes flickered. "Oh. You…you look…different."

I chuckled softly, realizing why he hadn't recognized me. "That's because I'm not wearing my armor anymore. How do you feel?"

"I hurt everywhere."

"I'm not surprised; you were pretty badly wounded."

He frowned. "Where? What injuries do I have?"

"You want the details?"

"Yes."

_Brave kid; he has more courage than most grown men._ "You have a broken leg, three cracked ribs, cuts all over the place, and I think you might have a few burns, too."

He looked around, his blue eyes taking in every detail. "Where am I?"

"In my house in Kakariko. I'm not sure how long it'll be until you're well enough to go home, but you just rest easy for now, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay." He seemed to suddenly notice the jewel that was resting in his palm, staring down at it wide-eyed. "Darunia…?"

"He gave that to you and said that you did a great job."

"You're awake!"

I jumped at the shout, both of us turning to see my son leaning over the stairs with a wide, happy grin; I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Good morning."

"'Morning!" he said energetically, bounding down to me. "Dad, you were sleeping with your head hanging off the table, and you both were snoring."

"Thank you for that information," I answered dryly, then glanced at Link. "This is my son, Ryan, in case you were wondering. He's more annoying than you are."

Ryan didn't seem to hear me as he grabbed his kee-whatever mask from where it hung on the wall. "See you tonight, dad! I'm going to go help Anjo with her cuccoos today, then I'm helping Dampe with the groundskeeping!"

"Just don't dig up any graves," I warned.

"I won't! 'Bye!" He grabbed a carved walking stick from the corner, then bolted out the door.

"Where are my clothes?" Link asked.

I sighed. "Your tunic was too badly ripped up to salvage, and your hat was lost in the caverns. Your belt and dagger are fine, though."

"And my belt pouch?" he asked, sounding worried.

I retrieved it for him, handing it over carefully. "As far as I can tell, it's fine. Don't blow anything up."

He chuckled, then winced. "I feel like I was chewed up by a wolfos."

Before I could respond, I heard a low whisper, seeing the fairy sitting on his shoulder, looking up at him with what almost looked like…admiration? "She was awake all night," I told the kid. "Navi, you said her name was, right?"

He nodded. "Thanks," he said quietly to her, holding one hand, palm-up, level with his shoulder. She stepped into his hand gracefully, chattering and shaking a finger at him. He laughed, cupping her gently in both hands and touching his nose to the top of her head. "I'm fine, Navi. Just a little banged up; it's no worse than what I got from Ghoma. And you can speak Hylian, you know. I don't want to translate everything you say."

I frowned, confused, then the fairy fluttered in front of my face. "Thank you for saving Link's life," a quiet, elegant voice said, sounding more like music than words.

I blinked. "Um…you're welcome, I guess. Hi."

The fairy smiled. "Hi."

* * *

**A/N: **And yet another new character! Ryan is the Graveyard Boy, actually. I know that, in-game, he looks like he's four or five, but for the sake of sanity, since I don't want to write about a kid that young(and since I have a lot of free rein, what with this being AU and fanfiction and all...), Ryan is eight years old in this story.


	7. Dagger

**Chapter 7: Dagger**

Link flinched as I carefully felt his ribs; it had been two weeks, and the cuts all over his body were no more than scars now, but he still felt pain. Astonishingly, the kid had taken to living with us as easily as if he'd been a member of the family all along, but it was obvious that his quest was always foremost in his mind.

"How am I?" he asked softly.

"It feels like your ribs have healed properly, but there's still a lot of bruising. Honestly, I'm just surprised that your bones have mended as quickly as they have."

He bowed his head slightly, but made no comment, and I was still surprised by how calmly this kid took such news. I moved down and checked his leg, seeing that it was still somewhat bruised, but doing better. It, too, had fully healed, but the break had set crooked as the bones fused back together, so now his leg was permanently distorted at a minor angle; we hadn't detected the error until it was too late to rebreak it, but it was barely noticeable for the most part. Unnoticeable, at least, until he walked around, then his heavy limp was very obvious.

"Can I stand now?" he asked with all of the impatience of a little boy.

I nodded, and he slid off of the kitchen table and eased his weight onto the floor gradually until he was positive that he could do it without falling over like he had so many times before. "Walk across the room," I instructed gently, and he complied, his leg dragging a bit.

He was perspiring now from the effort, but he made it, though when he reached the wall he leaned against it for support. "Will I ever be able to fight again?" he asked, glancing longingly at his tiny sword.

"In time. You're still healing." _I don't think you should ever fight again, though; you almost died._ I wanted to say it out loud, but I didn't, knowing that it would only discourage him.

He shrugged, limping back towards me and sitting down in a chair. "Tannin, I…I need to go. I've stayed too long already; Hyrule is in danger, and I need to continue on."

I sighed; he'd been talking about leaving for the past four days, and I was _still_ trying to figure out why the kid was so convinced that Hyrule was being threatened. Everything had been quiet and peaceable lately, so there wasn't much reason for his concerns, other than Princess Zelda's stories about her 'prophetic' dreams that she was always having.

"You're not strong enough yet, Link."

"I know," he muttered dejectedly. "But I need to reach the Zoras before anything terrible happens."

I was getting exasperated now. "Look, if you'll stay here another week, I can teach you how to use that dagger of yours properly."

He looked hopeful. "Really? Can we start as soon as possible? I _need_ to see the Zoras, before it's too late."

_This kid's tunnel focus goes to the extreme sometimes._ "Yes, we can start as soon as you are physically able to."

Link grinned, then limped over and strapped on his belt and dagger, looking up at me expectantly. "Can we start now?"

_You've got to be kidding me. He's still wounded._ "Only if you can without falling over," I said with a chuckle.

He took up a battle stance, giving me a daring smirk. "I can."

I smiled, strapping my own sword on before leading him out of the house. "You're too stubborn for your own good." I stood in the grass with my feet slightly apart, my arms loose, and the sword held horizontally with the tip of the blade pointed straight. "If you start from this position, you can usually start off your battle with a stab or upward slash that can be devastating."

I took a step forward and thrust with the blade to demonstrate, then swept upward. Link copied me, his upward slash veering to the right as his limp got in the way of his balance. "I failed," he mumbled, looking annoyed.

"Link, that was great for your first time."

"But I still failed," he insisted, glaring at his dagger.

I frowned. "Listen, you can't be perfect in everything you do, okay? Sometimes, you're gonna face disappointment, and you're going to have to learn to live with it."

He nodded his understanding, but still looked crestfallen. "If you say so, but how am I supposed to defend Hyrule if I can't even walk straight?"

I smiled at him, shaking my head. "Don't worry, we can adjust these moves to compensate for your limitation. Try again, but this time aim to your left when you slash up."

"Uh…okay." He seemed confused, but obeyed, and I was satisfied when his blade stayed level and in the center. He stared at his dagger in surprise. "What did that do? It stayed."

"Why do you always want to know the technical details?"

He flushed slightly, but grinned. "I don't know, I just do."

"Your weight automatically leans to the right because of your leg, so when you direct your power to the left, it stays level in the center. When you want to do a leftward swing, you'll have to put more power behind the blow if you want to do any damage."

He nodded again, his eyes glinting mischievously, then swung to his left, sending himself into a powerful spin. He cocked his head and flashed a smile. "I'm already good at doing spin attacks, so I can just do them to solve my left-force problem."

I laughed, sweeping my sword to the right in a smooth arc. He copied me, leaning his upper body to the left to compensate for his limp. I winked at him. "There's another effective method you can use with your sword besides the basic slashes and spins."

"Really? What is it?"

"This." I whacked him on the head with the flat of my blade, careful to not actually hurt him, and he blinked, looking surprised, then lunged at me, tackling me around the legs and sending me staggering backwards. I collapsed into a sitting position, straining valiantly to pry him off of me, but he was latched on as securely as a leech, whacking my shoulder with the flat of his dagger repeatedly.

The fact that I was laughing didn't help with my attempts to dislodge him either, and I found myself flat on my back with his blade to my throat. "Do you surrender?" he asked, grinning.

"Never!" I rolled over, pinning him under me and relieving him of his sword, then a third person jumped onto my back, and Link wriggled out from under me and joined the person in flattening me securely against the ground. "Mercy, please!"

They laughed, and I realized that the other person was Ryan as they jumped off, Link retrieving his dagger and sheathing it.

"Wow, the great knight was vanquished by two children."

I glanced over at Gavin, who was leaning against the Mountain Trail gate with a smirk. He'd been taking over my watch along with another soldier for a while, because I'd had to take care of Link. I grabbed Ryan by his shirt and lifted him up for the man to see. "He's not a child, he's a ReDead."

Accordingly, Ryan growled, pawing at the air, and I dropped him again only to have him scramble up onto my shoulders. Gavin just shook his head. "More like a stalchild."

I dropped my son, scowling down at him. "Weren't you supposed to be helping Anjo again today?"

"Yeah, but I finished helping her an hour ago, and I'm bored now!"

Link snuck up behind Ryan and grabbed him in a headlock, chuckling. "C'mon, I'll show you how to climb walls. Let's leave your dad alone for now." He waved to me before dragging my son off down the stairs; I rolled my eyes, heading back inside.


	8. Gone

**A/N:** Gah, I hate how short this chapter is! But...I couldn't figure out how to make it any longer than it was, so you're stuck with it. :P

* * *

**Chapter 8: Gone**

Link was gone. I had woken up in the early morning to find him and all of his possessions missing, with a small note resting in the middle of the kitchen table. At first, I was angry that he had just up and left without even saying goodbye, but then it made sense as I read his clumsily written letter.

_Tannin, I'm sorry I left so soon without telling first, but I had a scary dream in the night. The Zora guard fish was sick and dying, and their water was getting dirty and bad because of it. I need to go to them fast, before anything bad happens. Thank you for your tips on swordplay, and I promise I'll keep myself as safe as I can, which might not be likely, considering how I'm trying to save Hyrule from being destroyed. I'm sorry._

I clenched the note tightly in my hand, worried for him; I didn't know why the kid was so determined to save Hyrule from an evil that wasn't there, but I knew there was no way I could catch up to him with the head start that he'd gotten. I could only hope that he wouldn't get himself into any kind of big danger; it was a good thing that water was a lot more harmless than fire.

"Dad?"

I turned, seeing Ryan on the stairs, his kee-thing-mask held tightly against his chest. "What is it, son?" I asked softly, tucking the crumpled note into my pocket.

He came over and hugged me, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "He's gone, isn't he?"

I nodded, stroking his hair lightly. "Link has something that he needed to do. I…I'm sure he'll come back."

"I knew he was going to leave. He was talking about going for a while."

"Don't worry, he can take care of himself," I reassured. "He'll be fine."_ At least, I hope he will be, otherwise I'll never forgive myself._


	9. Fire

**Chapter 9: Fire**

There were dark clouds gathering on the horizon. At first, I had thought it was merely another rainstorm brewing, then I realized that the clouds were hanging over Hyrule Castle, and nowhere else. I somehow could feel that something strange was going on, so I put on my armor, strapped on my sword and knives, then grabbed my spear and called Alice and Ryan.

My wife looked scared, and I knew it was because of how I had suddenly dressed for war. "I want you both to stay in the house. Don't leave, no matter what you hear, okay?"

She nodded. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted, kneeling down to face my son, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Ryan, you stay with your mother. Don't leave her side."

He donned his kee-whatever mask. "Okay, dad, I'll protect Mom."

I chuckled halfheartedly, then straightened up and kissed Alice, staring into her eyes for a moment. "Keep the door locked; don't open it for _anyone_."

"Okay, Tannin. Be safe."

I nodded, then turned and left, waiting until I heard the click of the lock before going to the gate. "Wystan, any word from the Castle?"

He shook his head. "No, sir. Back on duty, eh?"

"Yes. Did you notice those clouds over the Castle?"

"Yeah, but they look like rain clouds."

"They are only in one spot, and are hazy and far too dark. They're almost black. I don't think those are rain clouds."

He frowned. "You might be right about that, sir. That is odd."

I opened my mouth to respond, then a streak of orange flame shot down from a cliff, lighting the windmill on fire. A scream ripped through the air, and I spotted a lizard-like creature clinging to the cliff, wearing steel armor and holding a long lance. A man's body was impaled on the end of it. "What the-?"

"Get down!" Wystan shouted, slamming into me as a rain of arrows came from the sky, then thousands of lizalfos swarmed down the cliffs, entering the town. He got off of me and pulled me to my feet, then lunged and stabbed one of the creatures through the chest with his spear. "Don't just stand there!" he roared. "Fight! They're overtaking the town!"

I was shocked into action, unsheathing my sword and spinning to slice open two more lizalfos before rolling to one side to avoid a streak of flame sent at me by one of the fire-breathing ones. I stabbed it, then whipped its body around and hit three others with the corpse, knocking them down. _Where did they all come from? There are too many of them!_ I realized with dread that there were only eight soldiers in Kakariko; not nearly enough to repel this force, and to make matters worse, there was a horde of tektites climbing over the gate from Death Mountain.

"We need reinforcements!" Gavin shouted from the gate, where he was beating at two tektites with his spear.

I nodded, dodging another jet of fire that set the spider house on fire, fighting my way to the lookout tower. I climbed up, slashing a few skulltula in half before making it to the top, seizing hold of the horn and blowing it three times. The call echoed over the hills, but, from my high vantage point, I could see a massive flood of monsters heading straight towards Castle Town from across Hyrule Field.

_We're not getting reinforcements,_ I realized, my heart sinking, then I remembered Alice and Ryan. I climbed back down, running and dodging until I reached the door to my house, then something sharp hit me, and I collapsed, my vision blurring as a dinalfo stared down at me, ready to end my life with a burst of flame.


	10. His Name

**Chapter 10: His Name**

Ryan and Alice…our house had burned down in the attack, and they had been trapped inside. I felt like it was because of me that they had died; I was the one who had told them to stay there. Since the attack, I had buried my wife and son, along with many other villagers, such as Dampe, the gentle, kindhearted gravekeeper whom my little boy had so admired. I had buried him next to my son. Ryan would have liked to be so close to the man he'd strived so hard to imitate.

"His name is Ganondorf."

I looked up from my drink and stared wearily at Fendrel, who was leaning heavily against the wall. "What?"

"The guy who took over Hyrule Castle; his name is Ganondorf. They say he's a Gerudo."

"Where did you hear this?"

"One of my former customers who used to run errands at the castle. By the way, that reminds me, I'm going to have to start up my bazaar again…only problem is finding a place to do so."

_Ganondorf? So Link was right all along…_ I sighed, downing my drink before standing and paying for it. It had been a month since Hyrule had been transformed from a peaceful kingdom to a den of monsters, and I had been forced to assume an alias and new occupation to hide who I had been; all other Hyrulean soldiers had been killed, with the few survivors going into hiding, like me.

I now went by the name Merek Forthwind, living in Lake Hylia as the potion master's assistant. Not the best job in the world, but it was as far away from my former occupation as could be, which was exactly what I needed.

Link had never returned, and Death Mountain now had a strange, eerie cloud of fire over it. No one had heard from the Gorons since the attack, and we had lost communication with the Zoras, too. I was pretty certain that the boy was dead, and I grieved for him as much as I had for the rest of my family.

Why had I been so blind? Link had been right, evil was waiting to destroy Hyrule, and none of us had seen it. Oh, Link…how I wished he were still alive, so I could at least apologize to him, if not help him get rid of this darkness. Merely wishful thinking, though; there's no way that the boy could have possibly survived that attack. He may be good with a dagger, but he's not _that_ good.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, the super-short chapters are over!


	11. Arela Doesn't Like Me

**Chapter 11: Arela Doesn't Like Me**

A lot of people say that things get better in time. I'll tell you this much: in Hyrule's case, things only got worse. Now the forest to the southeast was overrun with monsters, and the Gerudo had taken over the ruins of Castle Town, building their trade markets, although the majority of the place was still just smoke and ash. Even the ranch in central Hyrule was a different place, run by a tyrant instead of the gentle, easygoing man who had owned it previously.

I did what I could, helping people out in small ways and killing the tektites that would come up from the Water Temple, but nothing got better. It was in this way that seven years passed, and in that time I grew steadily stronger in my ability with a sword, until I could repeat even the most complex maneuvers with my eyes closed. I'd had to scrap all usage of the spear, because, unfortunately, my fighting style was too distinct as a soldier whenever I used one. I still had plenty of knives in addition to my longer blade, though.

"D'ya wanna try this?" Althalos asked, proffering a vial filled with bright purple liquid. "It'll increase your reaction time…I think."

"No, Doctor, my reaction time is fine the way it is," I answered patiently. This was the tenth vial he had offered me this morning. He was always trying to get me to try out his latest concoctions as part of my 'apprenticeship' to him. Evidently, he needed a test subject. Still, I was always polite in my refusals. No need to upset someone who knew how to make acid that could boil a man from the inside-out.

He looked disappointed. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," I muttered, gritting my teeth as I poured a neon pink liquid into a jar of something blue and disgustingly goopy and smelly, as per the Good Doctor's orders. I didn't even _want_ to know what it was for.

He turned and set the vial down, then held up another one, this one filled with something red. "I got a sample of this from an old student of mine in Kakariko; she calls it red potion. It heals any wound instantly when you drink it. Do you want some?"

"No, thank you, I'm not wounded," I replied, rolling my eyes and stirring the vile concoction that I had just made._ This stuff looks like it could disintegrate a dodongo!_

He held up a green vial. "This enhances your magical ability."

"I don't have magical ability, therefore that particular potion would be useless to me," I responded, shaking my head and mentally begging him to stop.

He set it back down, then rummaged through his stacks of vials again. I inwardly groaned when he showed me a blue-filled one. "This is blue potion," he said proudly. "It enhances your magic ability _and_ cures any wound, as well as strengthening your physical form."

I held up the concoction, jiggling it slightly. The combination of pink and blue had turned it into a sickly octorok-purple color. "This stuff is done, Althalos."

He perked up. "Oh, yes, good! Please, taste it; it's supposed to grant you temporary teleportation abilities, and I want to know if it works."

I set the thing back on the table, sighing. _Teleportation? I don't want to know what_ that _could do to my body if it goes wrong!_ "Maybe some other time; I'm going outside," I said respectfully, standing up and leaving. Of course, on second thought, it probably would have been more desirable to stay inside. A patrol of fifteen Gerudo were standing by the lake's edge, inspecting the water, and one of them dove in, then came back out a few moments later.

I started to back up to return to the doctor, but then one of them noticed me and let out a shrill cry. I bolted away from the research laboratory, not wanting to draw attention to Althalos, and headed towards the canyon that led to Hyrule Field. What I failed to consider was the fact that the Gerudo had horses, and I found myself thrown flat when something long and solid hit my legs.

"Don't move," a fierce voice commanded, and I felt a sharp object pricking the back of my neck as two of the warriors hauled me to my feet and bound my hands behind my back with rope.

I sighed as they removed my sword and knives, then noticed that one of the warriors stared at my neck, where I had the outline of the Triforce tattooed there in black ink. "You are affiliated with the Royal Family?" one of them asked, a teenager-ish looking girl who for whatever reason looked like she was the one in command.

"No, I have no ties to the Royal Family," I growled._ True, anyway; I haven't been tied to the royals for seven years now._

"Men should know their proper place," the girl-leader said, poking me with her sword. "And that includes not lying to their betters."

"I notice you didn't say 'elders,'" I chuckled. "How does a kid end up in command?"

"Silence!" another Gerudo snapped. "Speak to Arela only when she commands you to!"

The girl-leader, who had just been dubbed 'Arela,' smirked, waving her hand. "Calm down, Alia; this one has spirit. That could be useful."

"Sorry, I don't work for Ganondorf," I spat. "Never have, never will. You'll have to just kill me."

She slapped me across the face with the flat of her sword; I rolled my eyes, glancing sideways at one of the Gerudo who was restraining me who, honestly, looked like she couldn't be older than nine. "Methinks Arela doesn't like me," I whispered conspiratorially.

The girl stared at me as if I'd just grown a second head, then snorted, backhanding me with considerable force in spite of her small size. "Personally, Arela, I like the idea of killing him."

"That is not your place to decide, Linna," Arela said coldly, glaring at the girl.

"Question," I interrupted, wondering why it looked like they were on the brink of an argument. "Why is Ganondorf sending _children_ to do his work for him? The oldest of you can't possibly be eighteen yet!"

Arela clenched her jaw. "Then again, I _might_ agree with you, mongrel. However, none of us get to decide. It is up to either Nabooru or Ganondorf."

_Why the heck did she just call that girl 'mongrel?'_ I wondered, now thoroughly confused. Before I could think about it any more, though, two more of them grabbed me and threw me to the ground, binding my feet together before slinging me over the back of a horse; I groaned, resigning myself to the fact that I wasn't getting out of this mess anytime soon.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, introduced two more characters! Althalos is the Lake Hylia potion guy, by the way, not one of the new characters; I just gave him a name because I didn't want to keep calling him the "creepy potion guy" the whole time. XD Anyway, Linna and Arela are both important; they will have interesting roles in the future. One of them is more important than the other; can you guess which one? Oh, and Alia was completely unimportant; just a random Gerudo that I made up a name for.


	12. Breaking Out

**Chapter 12: Breaking Out**

"_River's waters flowing calm, keeping vow to never do harm, quieting power without a sword, wisdom rules with gentle words…_"

"Will you shut up!" Linna snapped at me, picking up a rock and hurling it through the bars; I ducked just in time, the stone barely missing my neck.

"What, you don't like my voice?" I retorted, shifting my back against the hard wall. They'd stuck me in a iron prison cell deep within their fortress the day before, and so far, it seemed like they didn't know what to do with me yet.

"You're grating on my ears," she growled.

"A pity," I muttered, frowning at her. "_As a forest spreads and grows, where it comes from no one knows…_" I continued to sing; heck, I was chained to a wall, may as well have some fun annoying the guards, who consisted of Linna and another Gerudo of similar age.

The other Gerudo shook her head, growling. "Just ignore him, Linna. He's _trying _to make you mad."

"And it's working," the girl hissed. "Annil, why are they taking so long to decide his fate?"

The one named Annil shrugged. "Nabooru is missing; no one can find her. Arela doesn't want to bother Lord Ganondorf; apparently, he has his hands full dealing with some kind of 'problem' in Death Mountain."

"This is the second 'problem' in a week that he's had to deal with," Linna muttered. "First the Forbidden Woods, now Death Mountain…what, exactly, is causing this problem?"

"A 'rebel,' according to his spies," Annil answered, shaking her head. "If that's the case, this is the first rebel to actually do damage."

"Is Ganondorf having issues with his kingdom?" I asked, curious about this 'problem.' _Is there really someone out there who's doing enough damage to worry the man?_

"You be quiet," Annil hissed, throwing a rock at me; she had far better aim than Linna, and the stone pegged my jaw, causing me to draw my breath sharply and close my eyes.

Something abruptly slammed into the girl, pinning her by the neck and cutting off her airway until she collapsed, unconscious; Linna yelled, slashing at the person viciously with her scimitar, but, whoever it was, he was fast, dodging under the blade and bulling into her, knocking her out in a similar fashion. The person knelt, rummaging in the girl's pocket until he found a small object before straightening and coming to my cell.

He unlocked the heavy, iron door with the stolen key, then entered, looking me over with piercing, blue eyes. I frowned up at him, seeing that it was a young man, dressed in simple traveling clothes, but there was something oddly familiar about him. I didn't have time to think about it though as he used the key to open my chains and drag me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice.

"I've been worse," I answered, wiping at the blood on my mouth and freeing myself from his grip. "Whoever you are, thank you."

He shrugged noncommittally. "Come on, let's get out of here." The stranger grabbed my arm and pulled me forcibly down a hallway that led upwards until we came out on the roof of the fortress, then he brought me through a new door, stopping in another aisle. Up ahead, I could see a Gerudo pacing the hall, but we were hidden from sight by a large pile of crates.

The young man smiled, setting me down and peering over the edge of the crates calculatingly. "How did you get inside the fortress?" I asked curiously.

He chuckled softly, then pried one of the crates open slightly and peered inside. "Got myself captured on purpose, made a ruckus and acted like a fool so that they would throw me into their least secure cell, then I escaped, jumped and landed on the roof, then climbed through a window."

"Wait, why would you get yourself captured on purpose?"

"A man called Mutoh asked me to help him; said that four of his carpenters had been captured by the Gerudo. I managed to free all of them, but I didn't expect to find a fifth prisoner here. In fact, I never would've known you were here if I hadn't heard you singing and the guards getting annoyed. What's your name?"

"Merek Forthwind."

"I've heard about you; the protector of Hylia."

I shrugged. "I intended to help out a lot more than just on the lake, but the tektites wouldn't stop coming."

He nodded. "Well, you did a good job there. Wait here."

"If you say so. You're not going to do anything insane, are you?"

He smirked, then stood and ran straight at the guard, ramming into her and knocking her out with a swift punch. Then, to my surprise, two more Gerudo guards came, and the man struck them simultaneously in the neck with his hands .They fell heavily, and he came back over to me, leading me down the hall into a large room. "We're in the kitchen, which also serves as a spoils room."

He abandoned me to open a few more crates, then pulled out a folded bundle and a long scabbard. A shield was next, and the man unraveled the bundle to reveal that it was a belt and pouch. He strapped it on along with the scabbard, and I noticed that the sword hilt was a deep violet color, the crosspiece shaped like dragon wings. _Why does that sword look familiar? I don't think I've ever seen it before…_

The man then shouldered the shield, and I froze. The emblem on the shield was the crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule, with the Triforce emblazed directly above it. He was wearing the shield of the Hylian knights._ That's impossible! They were all killed!_ I frowned at him, confused. "Are you one of the royal knights?"

The young man stiffened, then shook his head. "No, I'm not a knight. My name's Link."

_What?!_ I grabbed him, searching his face intently, barely able to make out the features of the little boy that I had known so long ago. "How is that possible?" I breathed, hugging him tightly.

He carefully disentangled himself from me, scowling. "Do I know you or something?"

I could scarcely believe it; this skilled, able-bodied man was _Link_! "You don't remember me? I'm Tannin!"

He froze, looking shocked. "Tannin? I thought you were dead!"

"That's not surprising; how did you survive the attack? I thought you had died, too!"

The man seemed at a loss for a moment, then he shook his head and sighed. "I was just lucky, I supposed. I spoke to Anjo in Kakariko; she…she told me what happened. To Ryan and Alice. I'm sorry I wasn't there when…everything happened."

"I'm just relieved that you're all right."

Link pulled me up another ramp and out a door. We were on another section of the roof, and I saw that there were three Gerudo pacing the main area, two guarding a massive, wooden gate, and three more barring the path to a canyon. Link took a small object from his pouch. I saw that it was an ocarina, but unlike most, it was painted blue, with a golden Triforce etched into the mouthpiece. I didn't know what the man was planning, but I decided to trust him.

He winked at me, then his fingers moved lightly over the holes in the instrument, and I listened in wonder as a simple, three-beat song was played. Then a piercing whinny echoed through the fortress, and a reddish-haired horse galloped from the guarded canyon, several Gerudo chasing it with whips and lassos.

Before I could comprehend what he was doing, Link had thrown both arms around me and jumped from the roof, landing squarely on the horse's back. I yelled as it reared, but, thankfully, the man seemed to have a good grip on it, because he shouted something, causing the beast to bolt forward through the line of Gerudo and run down a dirt path.

The horse made a tremendous leap over a canyon, but I think the weight of two men must have been too much for it, because its forehooves barely grazed the other side before the three of us tumbled backwards, plummeting down. The last thing I heard was the horse neighing shrilly, then all went black.

* * *

**A/N1:** Well, introduced another new character. Annil. She's also important. Poor girls; I hate beating up my OC's. :P

**A/N2: **I know Epona is a palomino in _Twilight Princess_, but she's far too red in _Ocarina of Time_ to be palomino; from my research, I have deduced that she is a flaxen chestnut, which explains the white mane and tail, and the bright red hair.


	13. Uninventive Alias

**A/N:** For those of you who have commented that this story seems to be moving along fairly quickly...I'm just following what often happens in real life. yes, real life can move along slowly, but in the case of a warrior, with harrowing situations happening often, there's not much time for thought, and lift moves along very quickly. Anyway, time to introduce yet another of Link's companions!

* * *

**Chapter 13: Uninventive Alias**

"Tannin, wake up," a voice hissed in my ear; I swatted in the general direction of the annoyance, earning myself a fistful of cloth. I opened one eye, staring up at Link, who was grinning and trying without success to pry his shirtfront free.

"Are we dead?" I growled, opening my other eye and glaring at him.

He shook his head quickly. "Nope. Still alive, and safely out Gerudo territory. You've been asleep for over a day now. Can you, uh…let go of me?"

I sighed, releasing his shirt suddenly enough that he fell over backward as I sat up, looking around. We were on the bank of Lake Hylia, and…the lake was back to normal. The water level was back to where it had been seven years ago, and there weren't even any tektites to be seen. "What happened here?"

He shrugged awkwardly. "I, um…went into the temple and fixed everything."

I raised an eyebrow, staring at him. "Playing hero again?"

"It's a little more than 'playing," a high, lilting voice said as a small, glowing blue thing appeared from behind Link's ear and fluttered over to hover in front of me.

"Good to know that you're still with him, Navi," I said, smiling.

The fairy made a low ringing sound, landing on my shoulder. "He actually _is_ a hero now. That's the Master Sword that he has. He's already killed dragons and phantoms since you saw him last."

Link's face reddened, and he turned away, muttering something in a foreign language. "Navi…please stop talking."

_Now I know why the sword looked familiar._ "You shouldn't be embarrassed about doing good, Link. Honestly, I'm really glad to hear that you've been helping people. Although, it's kind of surprising, that you're the prophesied hero."

"Wait, what?" he asked blankly, turning back to me. "Prophesied? When did that happen?"

"Kid, that Master Sword was made for a reason. It wasn't just a failsafe in case of danger, it was made specifically for a chosen hero. And, apparently, that hero is you."

He looked surprised. "Wow. I never even considered that."

"By the way, Link, I owe you. I would have died in that fortress if not for you."

He shrugged awkwardly. "No, you don't owe me, Tannin. Think of it as me repaying you for the kindness your family showed to me."

I tilted my head curiously. "Where did you go, anyway, when you vanished suddenly?"

"I told you in the note: I went to the Zoras."

"Yes, but after that?"

"To Hyrule Castle Town to see Zelda again. But then Ganondorf and his monsters attacked the town…" he trailed off, a haunted look in his eyes. "I was powerless to do anything."

"I'm just shocked that you were in the middle of that horde and survived. Don't feel guilty; there was nothing you could have done."

"Link, we need to get to the next temple," Navi reminded the man, who merely rolled his eyes.

"I only just finished the last one," he snapped. "Can't you give me a change to rest and heal first?"

"Heal?" I repeated, suddenly worried. He didn't look wounded, but then again…

Link shrugged. "Yeah, there were a few nasties in the Water Temple that almost killed me. I drank a few potions, but I'm still kind of sore. I'm fine, though."

"If you're fine, then why do you think you need to heal?" Navi muttered, flitting to perch behind his ear.

"Because he's not healed," a new voice said; I jolted, automatically jumping into a battle stance, though I had no weapons.

Link, on the other hand, looked delighted by the odd arrival's presence. "Sheik! I thought I wasn't going to see you again until the next temple!"

I frowned at the tall, slim man, trying to figure it out. He was wearing a blue bodysuit, white bandages wrapped around his wrists, lower legs, and hands, and all but his bright red eyes was obscured by a veil. "Who the heck is he?" I growled.

"It's okay, Tannin, Sheik is a friend," Link said quickly, taking a hesitant step toward the newcomer.

I raised an eyebrow. _He's a Sheikah? I'd thought Ganondorf killed them all; apparently not._ "Your 'friend' has quite the uninventive alias. What the heck kind of a stupid name is 'Sheik?'"

"You shouldn't say 'friend,'" Navi reprimanded before Link could answer. "We still don't know his identity."

"As interesting as your debate on my trustworthiness is," Sheik interrupted. "I am here for a serious reason."

Link's expression tightened subtly, and he nodded. "What is it?"

"Your antics at the Gerudo Fortress have achieved result of Ganondorf's undivided attention on your activity."

"Why is that important?" he replied, shrugging. "I've already destroyed his creatures in three of the temples; the Gerudo Fortress was nothing."

Sheik shook his head slightly. "His assassins are coming after you now. I would advise you to be cautious."

Link seemed confused. "Assassins? I haven't met any assassins."

"That's because I already killed eight of them," Sheik answered flatly. "Keep this up, and Ganondorf just might come after you personally."

"Um…isn't that what I _want_ to happen?"

"Not until you have awakened the other two sages, no," the man said, almost sounding exasperated. "I warned you to keep a low profile. Now that that is no longer an option, you must move quickly."

Link tilted his head. "You said it yourself, I'm not healed yet."

Sheik dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Yes, I understand that. Wounds given by the Shadowmaster are not easily recovered from."

"Shadowmaster?" he echoed, scowling. "What's that?"

"The sword that the dark one used on you."

Link shuddered. "What was he, Sheik? He almost killed me. He…he _was_ me."

"No," the man snapped, his scarlet eyes flashing with an anger that surprised me. "He was an apparition created by Ganondorf, no different from the morpha that you fought in the final chamber. He was there for no reason other than to unbalance you, nothing more."

"What is a morpha?" I broke in, now thoroughly puzzled.

"A construct," Sheik told me bluntly. "A being created of magic. Link encountered a few of them within the Water Temple."

"And I'm wondering how you even _know_ what I encountered in the temple," Link muttered, for the first time looking suspicious.

"You are not the only one who can speak to the sages," came the softly spoken reply. "Will you allow me to heal you as I have before?"

Link gave him a long, hard stare, then sighed. "Go ahead."

The Sheikah's hands began to glow with the faintest, golden hues that hinted of magic at work, his eyes closing slightly, and Link stiffened, clenching his jaw and hissing in pain before sagging slightly, shuddering. The golden glow vanished, and Sheik nodded. "You should be fully healed before your next battle. I advise you to move quickly to the Shadow Temple."

He stiffened slightly, turning, and I followed his gaze, seeing another blue-and-white-clothed figure running swiftly toward us. "Uh…Link…just how many Sheikah do you know?" I asked quickly.

The young hero looked bewildered. "Only Sheik. I didn't know there were any others. Sheik, who is that?"

The man didn't reply, his fists clenching as the slender figure came to a halt in front of him. "_Kao, Laekera resae versa jannahaln sao kiraes,_" the stranger panted in an accented, female voice, breathing heavily like she'd just run across all of Hyrule.

"_Han lina kiraes lenas nilan?_" Sheik snarled in reply, sounding furious.

I glanced at Link, hoping that he had an idea of what they were saying, but he shrugged. "I'm as clueless as you are," he whispered, frowning. "I don't know who she is, either."

The woman, whoever she was, had the same crimson eyes as Sheik, her hair a pure, silver-white, her face also covered with a veil, and a white cloak wrapped around her shoulders, trailing down her back to hide something long and brown, like a scabbard. "_Idan resae ina neliima. Las jiin oa Ka Relohin nan tarra retasa._"

Sheik actually staggered as if he'd just been punched, his eyes widening in…fear? Why the heck would a Sheikah be _afraid_? Whatever it was about, he was now shaking his head vehemently. "No, that can't be right. You must be mistaken."

"She has heard the awakening call," the mysterious woman replied in Hylian, tipping her head to one side. "Kakariko is in danger."

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**A/N1:** Wow, a new character. Obviously, you guys all know Sheik, but...who is this woman who's suddenly appeared? What role does she have in the story? By the way, I'm not translating the foreign language for you guys, because it's _supposed_ to be mysterious and confusing.

**A/N2:** This is random, but in case you guys were wondering what happened to Epona...Link sent her to Lon Lon Ranch while Tannin was unconscious, to keep her safe, because he was about to go into the Water Temple. Yes, he completed the entire Water Temple while Tannin was out. I can do the temple in under half an hour, getting everything correct, so I assume that Link can do the same.


	14. Sacred Blade

**Chapter 14: Sacred Blade**

I tensed. "What's happened? What's threatening the village?"

The woman ignored me, focusing on Link. "Hero, you must hurry to the Shadow Temple now, before the beast can do too much damage. It is weak right now, but if it gains strength, Hyrule is doomed."

Link looked taken aback. "What beast?"

"It is an ancient, accursed demon," she snapped. "It was sealed away into the bottom of the well eras ago, but Ganondorf got the bright idea to break the seal, and now the creature is loose. You are the only one who can fight it. Use the Lens of Truth."

"How do you know about the Lens?" he challenged, looking wary.

The woman gestured to Sheik, who seemed stunned into silence. "We Sheikah know everything that has happened, will occur, or is going on now in Hyrule." She unstrapped something from her back, and stepped closer to me, holding out a blue, leather sword case, a shining, silver hilt protruding from it, a ruby embedded in the pommel.

Sheik seemed startled into speaking. "No, Relu, we can't know…"

"I _do_ know," she growled harshly. "Tannin Starflare, take this blade. It is called the Dragon Sword, forged by the ancient drake, Xahreto, in an era gone by, and will aid you as you travel with the Hero. That is, assuming you _do _intend to travel with him."

I nodded, stunned, staring at the glimmering hilt. "Uh…yeah, I intend to go with him, but…are you sure you want to give that too me? It's far too valuable for someone like me to wield it."

Her eyes flickered. "This blade is the Master Sword's equal. Trust me, you will need it."

Link frowned. "I thought the Master Sword was unique."

"It is, but it also has a sibling."

"Your name is Relu?" I asked her, taking the blade cautiously. It felt lighter than a feather, and, even while sheathed, I could feel that it had a balance that was far more perfect than that of my old sword.

"Yes," she answered. "Go, quickly. I can only pray that the creature is weak enough that it cannot do too much damage yet."

I strapped the sword across my back, turning to Link. "I guess we should go, eh?"

He gave Sheik one last, suspicious look before taking out his blue instrument and playing that same, three-beat song; before long, the horse came galloping over to us, and Link stroked it once before mounting and reaching out a hand to me. "This is Epona," he said, nodding at the animal. "Don't worry, she can carry both of us."

I climbed up behind him, staring at Relu; for whatever reason, I felt uneasy around her. Whoever she was, she was hiding something, and I wanted to know what.

The horse broke into a trot, then cantered, her strides rapidly lengthening into a gallop, heading straight for Kakariko. I could only hope that no one was hurt.

When we arrived, the village was in flames. At least three buildings were on fire, with half of the villagers fighting to put out the inferno with blankets, and I wondered why they didn't use the well water…then I saw it. A massive, black shadow, hovering above the well, sparks of fire occasionally flaring out to scorch more houses.

I shuddered, forcing myself to push back the memories that threatened to overwhelm me as I drew the Dragon Sword, revealing a long, shining silver blade, a long crack running through the center. "How are we supposed to kill a shadow?" I snarled, glaring up at the thing. It wasn't attacking it, just floating there, as though surveying the work it had done.

Link aimed his bow and fired; the arrow penetrated something deep within the shadow, and it let out an echoing roar, shooting down at the hero; I ran to intercept, but it reached him before I could; the young man was abruptly lifted into the air, and I heard a panicked yell as he was tossed about, then the invisible force threw him. He hit the wall of a building with a sickening thud, collapsing limply to the ground, and I gave a furious shout, running into the monstrous cloud.

The oppressive blackness surrounded me, choking my senses and rendering me unable to move, until it touched the blade of my sword; there was a terrible shriek, then the cloud let go, dropping me and vanishing through the gateway that led to the graveyard. I gasped for breath, trying to get to my feet, but my limbs wouldn't obey my mind, and I collapsed, my vision blurring.

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**A/N1: **Sorry for the short-ish chapter. So now you know the woman's name: Relu. It may or may not be her _real_ name. XD

**A/N2:** For those of you who read the original version of _Dragon_ _Sword_...you will have noticed that I skipped right to the Kakariko scene. That's because I'm going to have Tannin get Tempest later on. Right now, the shadow beast is their main priority. Obviously, the scene where Link gets his butt kicked is very different from what you see in-game. Just keep reminding yourself that this is an AU.


	15. He's Right

**A/N:** Okay, this chapter is super-short, but I figured I may as well give you _something_ to read. Sorry for my inactivity lately; reptile breeding season is in full swing, and that keeps me really busy. Anyway, Merry Christmas, y'all!

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**Chapter 15: He's Right**

When I finally regained my senses, it was raining, and Sheik was bent over me, his hands glowing with a strange, blue fire. I groaned, shoving at him, and he hissed something in a foreign language, pressing his hands against my chest, the fire flooding into me; I gasped at the icy rigor, lashing out at the man reflexively, and he simply dodged the blow, standing and backing away.

"I apologize," he said, bowing slightly. "You weren't breathing for a while. You should be almost healed now."

I stood slowly, wincing, and looked around. The flames had been put out, and Link was propped up against a wall, unconscious, the Sheikah woman kneeling beside him. "Is he okay?" I asked worriedly._ I can't lose the kid now, not when I've just found him again!_

Relu nodded. "Yes, just asleep. He was hit pretty hard."

"Where were you guys?" I demanded. "Why didn't you come with us?"

She sighed. "We thought that you would be able to handle it, honestly. The beast was far stronger than we had anticipated." She turned her scarlet gaze on Sheik, and it seemed as though they were exchanging a silent message, then she shook her head. "We'll have to figure out a different tactic."

He seemed to be contemplating something, then sighed heavily. "We will have to split up. Relu, you and Merek take care of the village. Link and I will deal with the temple."

"Link is still unconscious," I snarled at them. "He's not going anywhere!"

"I'm not unconscious," the hero mumbled suddenly, his eyes flickering open; he frowned up at Relu, then stood shakily, leaning against the wall for support. "Sheik is right, Tannin. I need to go into the temple. It's the only way." He eyed the man warily, taking a few steps toward him. "Do you really mean it, Sheik, that you'll help me with the temple? I didn't know you could fight."

He nodded by way of reply, saying something in that foreign tongue to Relu before switching back to Hylian. "The Shadow Temple is by far the most hazardous of the six. You will need as much help as you can get. I can aid you in getting by most of the traps there."

Link smiled, still looking weary. "Thank you. Tannin, please, don't combat him. He's right, you need to take care of the village. The fires are put out, but there's too much damage."

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**A/N: **The Shadow Temple is going to be absolutely awesome, but...Tannin doesn't go there, so I can't record the events of the temple in _Dragon Sword_. :-( However, I am currently putting together a series titled _100 Moments in Dragon Sword_, where I will have a chapter showing what happened while they were in the temple, among other things. The next chapter will skip right to the aftermath.


End file.
